Soul Riders: Jorvik Calling

Slow Pacing to Start; Disparate Parts Didn’t Work Audiobook Review: I had never heard of the game this is based on, so I came to this audiobook with no prior knowledge of anything about it. I wonder if my listening experience would have been better if I did. It's hard to say, of course. As I don't re-read book descriptions before I start reading the book itself, the way this started came across as odd to me. I knew the book was called Soul Riders, but I had conveniently forgotten what it was about except that it had something to do with druidry. So I was surprised when the book started out seeming more like a book written for young female horse enthusiasts about a group of young girls who love riding and their horses. Actually, the story went along in this vein for quite a while. So when the first scene with the demon happened, it felt completely out of place, like it just came out of nowhere. Then other magical elements and happenings started as well... and these just seem so separate from the all-girl horse-loving club that it felt like two different stories. For someone with no knowledge of this world, like me, the disparate elements just did not work together. The narrator was okay with the female voices, and she was able to make distinctions between the different girls. But I thought she did a terrible job with the boys and men. They didn't sound like real men or boys at all, and they all sounded the same. All in all, this audiobook was a disappointment. I received a free copy of this audiobook, but that did not affect my review.